CONFESSIONAL

that this girl, enslded and sainted in her passion,
was compassed about through all that earthly pil-
grimage of hers by innumerable choirs of angels?
Call them how we will, the unseen powers which
make for good were with her, and she trusted
them.

It now remained for Joan to crown the Dau-
phin in Rheims. Flaming still with eagerness, she
turned, and took Jargeau, Beaugency, Meung,
and, as the crowning glory, gained the great
battle of Patay, Not for a hundred years had the
English been beaten by the French on a fair field.

But the opposition increased with Joan's suc-
cess, envy'and hatred seething about her feet. She
had the politicians against her always, the time-
servers La. Tremouille and Rcgnault de Chartres.
They slandered her from morning till night, and
scoffed at her pretensions, and at length decided
the king not to follow her to Rheima. As usual,
Joan at this check spent the night on her knees.
What was she to do? What should she do? What
did the voices counsel? At first she prayed in
vain. For some time past the visions had not
shown themselves clearly to her, the voices had
been faint. Once again Joan's sincerity con-
quered. Towards morning Michael himself ap-

Ul.1